Supply apparatus for carding machine and method



E. MEmlcKE 3,169,664

SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR CARDING MACHINE AND METHOD Feb. 16, 1965 Filed June 13. 1963 United States Patent "ice 20 Claims. to]. 222-1 This invention relates to feeders for carding machines, and more particularly to feeders of the type comprising a feeder shaft into which fibre material, for delivery to a carding machine, is fed via the top thereof and withdrawn from the bottom.

In known feeders of the specified kind, the density of the fibre material is first increased by its own weight and by the feeders shaft being shaken, and it is then further condensed between belts after leaving feed rollers at the foot of the shaft.

This known arrangement has the drawback that it is difficult to feed open fibre material with this apparatus to a carding machine as evenly as is possible for instance when feeding the card from a lap. This is due to the fact that, in this known feeder device, the degree of condensation in the feeder shaft depends upon the height of the column of material inside the shaft, and this will vary when the delivery of material into the shaft is irregular.

This known feeder has the further drawback that whenever the carding machine is temporarily stopped the degree of condensation of the material due to its weight differs from that achieved when the fibre material is subjected to the vibratory effect and when material is being withdrawn continuously from the foot of the feeder. Therefore, when the carding machine is started again, the change in the density of the web fed to the card changes the count of the silver so that part of the latter leaving the card cannot be used.

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by providing the bottom end of the feeder shaft with air outlet openings and the top of the shaft with a means which condenses the fibre material inside the shaft by intermittently forcing a column of air through the same.

The advantage afiorded by the feeder proposed by the present invention is that it condenses the fibre material in the feeder shaft evenly and completely to the density which is required, irrespective of the depth of the column of material inside the shaft, and that it assures a completely uniform feed to the card even if the rate of supply of the fibre material to the feeder shaft should fluctuate considerably.

When the carding machine is stopped and the supply of compressed air interrupted, the fibre material can freely expand inside the shaft in upward direction because it is not compressed by the weight of a high column of superposed material. When the carding machine is restarted, a few thrusts of compressed air will recompress the fibre material to the required density so that a web of the same weight per square yard as before stoppage will continue to be fed to the carding machine.

Preferably the upper end of the feeder shaft is provided with means for submitting the fibre material inside the shaft to intermittent thrusts of air. For compressing the air, the upper end of the feeder shaft may be extended to form a cylinder which contains a movable plunger and the cylinder and plunger assembly provided with valve means for establishing communication between the cylinder and the ambient air when the plunger ascends.

In principle, the cross section of the cylinder is arbitrary and may therefore correspond with the rectangular section of the feeder shaft proper, the cylinder merely 3,1595% Patented Feb. 16, 1%55 forming an upward extension thereof. The level of the column of fibre material inside the shaft may be controlled by means of a pencil beam of light and a photocell included in an electrical circuit controlling the drive means of the feed roller assembly.

According to another feature of the invention, the feeder shaft may be associated with a hopper provided at its outlet end with suitable means for conveying the fibre material from the hopper into the feeder shaft. These conveying means for the fibre material may consist of a major cylinder located immediately below a pair of feed rollers in the outlet opening of the hopper.

An embodiment of the invention will next he described by reference to the accompanying drawing in which the sole 'figure is a schematic vertical section of a feeder for a carding machine.

At the feed end of a carding machine 10 is a vertical hopper or shaft 1 into which the opened fibre material is introduced from above. For instance, the material may be conveyed into the hopper from a condenser by air.

The outlet opening of hopper 1 contains a pair of feed rollers 2 which rotate in the direction indicated by arrows. These feed rollers 2 discharge the fibre material onto a cylinder 3 therebeneath, which cylinder is provided with spikes or with wire teeth (not shown).

The cylinder rotates in the direction of the associated arrow and conveys the fibre material into a shaft 4 which will be hereinafter referred to as the feeder shaft. At the foot of this feeder shaft there are provided two feed rollers 5 which convey the fibres via a licker 11 to the angle stripper 12 of the carding machine.

- As a predetermined height from the bottom thereof, the sides of the feeder shaft 4 are provided with holes 6. The upper end of shaft 4 is extended to form a cylinder 4a silidably containing a plunger 7 which is reciprocable between the two end positions marked 7 and 7'. Below the plunger bottom deadcenter, the shaft has a flap 8 which is operatively connected to the drive means of plunger 7 in such a way that the flap will close when the plunger descends and opens when the plunger ascends.

At a predetermined and preferably adjustable level, preferably less than 500 mm. above the bottom end of the shaft, is a photo-detector 9. The drive means of feed rollers2 are associated with the electrical circuit of the photo-detector in such a way'that the feed rollers cease to deliver fibre material when the column of material in the feeder shaft 4 reaches the photo-detector.

The rotating feed rollers 2 in association with cylinder 3 deliver the fibre material into the feeder shaft at a fixed rate, whereas fibre material is taken out of shaft 4 and conveyed to the carding machine by feed rollers 5 at the same rate. In order to insure that the volume of material fed per unit of time remains constant, plunger 7 is continuously reciprocated. During its upward motion it draws in air through the open flap 8, whereas the descending plunger forces a surge of air through the column of material inside the feeder shaft, the air leaving the shaft through the openings 6 at the foot of the shaft. The action of the plunger is to keep the density of the fibre material inside the feeder shaft 4 constant. At the same time the photo-detector operates to maintain the depth of the column inside the feeder shaft 4 constant, and the overall result is that the rate of fibre feed to the card will not vary.

With due regard to the nature of the fibre material which is to be carded, the plunger speed is arranged to be infinitely variable.

The described feeder is particularly useful for association with carding machines which have a substantially higher output than carding machines conventionall used s V in the past, and which deliver not less than say kg./hr.

What is claimed is: V

1. A feeder for a carding machine comprising a shaft into which the fibre material for delivery to the carding machine is fed at the topand from which the material is withdrawn at the bottom, and means at the top of said shaft for raising the density of the fibre material inside said shaft by discontinuously forcing a column of air downwards through the fibre material to compress the fibre material, said shaft being provided with openings at the bottom thereof through which openings the air can escape.

2. A feeder as claimed in claim 1 comprising valve means at the head of the feeder shaft for the admission of air into the latter, the first said means comprising a cylinder portion on top of the shaft and an axially movable plunger in the cylinder portion.

3. A feeder as claimed in claim 2 comprising a hopper associated with said feeder shaft and including means for conveying the fibre material from the hopper into the feeder shaft.

4. A feeder as claimed in claim 3, in which the means for conveying the fibre material into the feeder shaft comprises a rotating cylinder and a pair of feed rollers superposed with respect thereto, said hopper being provided with a discharge opening in which the rollers are positioned.

5. A feeder as claimed in claim 4 comprising, in the feeder shaft, a material-level detector, said feeder further comprising a feed roller drive and a circuit coupled to said drive and controlled by said detector.

6. Apparatus comprising a shaft for the supply of fibre material, a valve in said shaft to admit air into the same, an extension superposed on the shaft, a piston in the ex tension to compress air in the shaft and thereby to compress material therein, the shaft being provided with venting holes remote from said piston and a discharge openmg.

7. Apparatus comprising a hopper for the supply of fibre material, a shaft adjacent said hopper, said hopper being provided with a discharge opening, rollers in said opening, a cylinder below the rollers to receive fibre material therefrom and to convey the material to said shaft, a valve in said shaft to admit air into the same, an extension superposed on said shaft, means in the extension to compress air in the shaft for thereby compressing fibre material therein, said shaft being provided with a discharge opening remote from said extension, and means to convey material from the latter said opening.

8. Apparatus comprising a vertical hopper for the supply of fibre material, a vertical shaft adjacent said hopper, said'hopper being provided with a downwardly directed discharge opening, spaced feed rollers in said opening, a cylinder below the rollers to receive fibre material therefrom and to conveythe material to said shaft, a flap valve in said shaft at the level of said cylinder to admit air into the shaft, a second cylinder superposed on the shaft, a piston in said second cylinder to compress air in the shaft for thereby compressing fibre material therein, the shaft being provided with venting holes and a discharge opening, and rollers in the latter. said opening.

9. Apparatus comprising a vertical hopper for the supply of fibre material, a vertical shaft adjacent said hopper, said hopper being provided with a downwardly directed discharge opening, spaced feed rollers in said opening, a cylinder below the rollers to receive fibre material therefrom and to convey the material to said shaft, a flap valve in said shaft at the level of said cylinder to admit air into the shaft, 21' second cylinder superposed on the shaft, a piston in said second cylinder to compress air in the shaft for thereby compressing fibre material therein, there being provided venting holes at the bottom of the shaft, the shaft being provided with a discharge opening, rollers in the latter said opening, and a licker and an angle stripper operatively associated with the latter said rollers to convey fibres from said shaft.

10. Apparatus comprising a vertical hopper for the supply of fibre material, a vertical shaft adjacent said hopper, said hopper being provided with a downwardly directed discharge opening, spaced horizontal feed rollers in said opening, a cylinder below the rollers to receive fibre material therefrom and to convey the material to said shaft, a flap valve in said shaft at the level of said cylinder to admit air into the shaft, a second cylinder superposed on the shaft, a piston in said second cylinder to compress air in the shaft for thereby compressing fibre material therein, there being provided venting holes at the bottom of the shaft, the shaft being provided with a discharge opening, rollers in the latter said opening, a licker and an angle stripper operatively associated with the latter said rollers to convey fibres from said shaft, and photoelectric means in the shaft and coupled to the first said rollers to control the same in accordance with the height of material in said shaft.

11. A method of supplying fibre material to a carding machine comprising passing the fibre material to the carding machine via a shaft wherein the density of said material is kept substantially constant by pneumatically compressing the same, and licking the thusly compressed material from the shaft.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising maintaining a substantially constant volume of said material in said shaft.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 comprising removing said material from said shaft at about the same rate as said material is supplied to said shaft.

14. A method as ciaimed in claim 12 comprising compressing the material with intermittent pneumatic thrusts.

15. In a feeder for carding machines the combination of, a shaft including a head and an opening adjacent said head, means for'feeding fibre material to said opening adjacent the head of said shaft, means for introducing air at another point at the head of said shaft, means for forcing said air downwards through the fibre material contained in said shaft for compressing said fibre material, a discharge opening at the bottom of said shaft to discharge said fibre material, other openings at the bottom of said shaft between said discharge opening and'said head to discharge the air forward through the fibres of said fibre material.

16. In a feeder for carding machines the combination of a shaft including a head and an opening near said head, means for feeding fibre material to said opening near the head of said shaft, means for introducing air at another point at the head of said shaft, means for discontinuously forcing air as a column of air downwards through the fibre material contained in said shaft for compressing said fibre material, a discharge opening at the bottom of said shaft to discharge the fibre material, other openings at the bottom of said shaft between said discharge opening and said head to discharge the air forced through the fibres.

17. In a feeder as claimed in claim 15 said means for forcing air comprising a cylindrical member at the head of said shaft, a plunger movable axially in said cylindn'cal member, and said means for introducing air comprising a valve automatically opening at the beginning of each rearward stroke of said plunger.

18. In a feeder as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a hopper associated with said shaft, means for conveying fibre material from said hopper into said shaft comprising an opening between said hopper and said shaft for discharging fibre material from said hopper into said shaft and means in said hopper for conveying the fibre material from said hopper into said shaft.

19. In a feeder as claimed in claim 18, in which the means for conveying the fibre material into said feeder shaft comprises a rotating cylinder and a pair of feed rollers superposed with respect thereto.

20. Apparatus comprising a hopper for the supply of fibre material, a shaft adjacent said hopper, said hopper 23 including a discharge opening, rollers in said opening, a cylinder below said rollers for receiving fibre material therefrom and for conveying fibre material to said shaft, a valve in said shaft to admit air thereinto, an extension superposed on said shaft, means in said extension to com press air in the shaft for thereby compressing fibre material therein, said shaft being provided with a discharge opening forrthe fibre material at the bottom of said shaft, means to convey the fibre material from said discharge 6 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS V 1/32 Slocum 122-193 1,841,646 5 2,872,338 2/59 Landrigan et al 222193 X 3,097,828 7/63 Grun 222-195 X FOREIGN PATENTS 801,304 9/58 Great Britain.

opening and other openings near the bottom of the shaft 10 LOUIS DEMBO Primary Examiner for discharging air.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. A FEEDER FOR A CARDING MACHINE COMPRISING A SHAFT INTO WHICH THE FIBRE MATERIAL FOR DELIVERY TO THE CARDING MACHINE IS FED AT THE TOP AND FROM WHICH THE MATERIAL IS WITHDRAWN AT THE BOTTOM, AND MEANS AT THE TOP OF SAID SHAFT FOR RAISING THE DENSITY OF THE FIBRE MATERIAL INSIDE SAID SHAFT BY DISCONTINUOUSLY FORCING A COLUM OF AIR DOWNWARDS THROUGH THE FIBRE MATERIAL TO COMPRESS THE FIBRE MATERIAL, SAID SHAFT BEING PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS AT THE BOTTOM THEREFO THROUGH WHICH OPENINGS THE AIR CAN ESCAPE. 